A note from the blogger: I started this review in December but got distracted. When I was putting the finishing touches on it today, I checked the book's availability on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, only to find it is sold out. I found 5 used copies available, with the cheapest being $378. I suppose this means that if you want to read it you will probably need to get it from the library or download the ebook. It also means, "Wow! Heather must be right - this IS a great book!"

I discovered this book in the children's section and selected it as a Christmas gift for my dad, a WWII buff. The title suggests a religious story, but it's not. It's a true, historical adventure. Your 7, 8, or 9-year-old will really like this book.

Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw writes about Lt. Gail Halvorsen, a pilot for the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. At the end of the war when Russia blockaded West Berlin, the Germans living there were unable to receive shipments of food, fuel, or other necessary supplies via truck or train. The Western Allies organized the Berlin Airlift to drop tons of supplies each day onto the bombed-out city. Lt. Halvorsen was assigned to the airlift.

With only a fence separating Templehof Air Base from the people of West Berlin, Halvorsen was accustomed to seeing children lined up to watch the planes take off and land. When he stopped to talk to some of them one day, children who had lost their homes and were trapped inside the city without regular shipments of food, he soon understood how grateful they were for the efforts of pilots like himself. He felt compelled to give them something, but only had two sticks of gum in his pocket. When he saw the way the older children divided up those two sticks of gum to share with the others he was inspired to give them more of his rations and to see if his fellow airmen would join him.

His buddies were eager to join in, so Halvorsen devised a plan to attach candy to tiny parachutes and then drop the parachutes out of his C-54 Skymaster cargo plane over West Berlin for the children. Because there were so many planes flying over each day, a plane took off or landed every 30 seconds, he told the children he would wiggle his wings to let them know it was him. When the children saw his plane they rushed out to gather the candy "bombs."

Lt. Halvorsen's private mission was taken up by his commanding officer and became known as "Operation Little Vittles." Halvorsen earned the nickname "Uncle Wiggly Wings" and the "Candy Bomber." Soon, individuals and businesses all over the world began shipping tons of candy to the air base to be dropped for the children. American schoolchildren also took part by attaching candies to parachutes before shipment.

Hungry children, kind strangers, and an innovative idea to bring a little bit of happiness to those in need make for a very compelling story for children and grown-ups. Brokaw's writing is superbly simple and Robert T. Barrett's illustrations are warm and inviting. The high-quality photos of Lt. Halvorsen solidify the idea that he was, indeed, a real and heroic person. Many German children wrote thank-you notes to the "Candy Bomber" and some of these are included. There is also a page of instructions for making your own candy parachutes which could come in handy for any number of terrific purposes.

The feature that sealed the deal for me was the included DVD of Tom Brokaw telling the story at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas Show in 2012. Listening to that voice I grew up with set against the choir and orchestra was a moving experience for me. It also gives young readers an opportunity to read along as they listen to Brokaw's re-telling.

This story would be well-suited for 7-year-olds and up, especially those who enjoy airplanes or are learning about World War II. The DVD makes it a picture book that is appropriate for a grown-up. A more in-depth version of this story for older children was published by Michael O. Tunnell in 2010. You can find it on Amazon here

This version is also available as an ebook from Google Play, so you can read it during the next snow day. We all know it's coming!

If you choose to buy the ebook, you can find segments of the Tom Brokaw/Mormon Tabernacle Choir performance on YouTube. You can also enjoy a thorough interview with Colonel Halvorsen at Historynet.com.

If you read this book with your child, I would love to hear your thoughts about it. Or perhaps your child would like to share. Feel free to comment here or email me at heather@msgl.org.

The story starts with the steam train pulling into the Night Falls Station where a great bunch of animals load it with cargo. Unlike their previous book, the vehicles in this story play it straight. Only the animals have faces. There are comforting similarities to my childhood copy of The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper in how the train is being loaded with stuff that a child finds important like toys and ice cream and sand. But this train does not have engine difficulties and as soon as it is loaded up the animals find a place to sleep as they go "chuffing" off into the night.

Next to the dreamy illustrations, the best part is that Rinker introduces the names of the different kinds of rail cars with each turn of the page. I didn't know the difference between a well car and a gondola before reading this book, but now I do. And I was inspired to look up the rest of the cars, as well. Wikipedia has an exhaustive list, of course, of the different types of railroad cars with links to photos and descriptions. Chateau Meddybemps' What's in Those Train Cars? is just part of an awesome site with some very Montessori-type activities about trains. Even if you don't check out this book, be sure to check out that web site.

Your child might take in Lichtenheld's illustrations and anticipate the ending but I - always willing to believe - did not. It is a pleasant surprise that takes the reader seriously. And if you are comforted by a book that has 'educational' value for your child, Rinker offers new words like "chromy", "stow", and "convoy" to build your preschooler's vocabulary.

This book was published in April, 2013 by Chronicle Books and is 40 pages. It is currently available in hardcover at Barnes & Noble in Lafayette and online at Amazon.com.

"We live with some big mysteries. When we come upon one, we're given a little gift. Every mystery is something for all of us to wonder about together. What do you wonder about?"

Author Annaka Harris noticed that her 2-year-old daughter was starting to ignore questions she could not answer. Eventually, she started giving false answers. Harris realized that she had failed to teach her daughter that it's okay to not know an answer. Unable to find a picture book that dealt with the experience of not knowing, Harris wrote I Wonderwith illustrator John Rowe.

I Wonder follows Eva and her mother on a walk through the woods. The little girl is looking up at the moon and notices that it seems to follow them on their walk. The mother asks Eva if she knows why that happens? When Eva doesn't have an answer, her mother explains that it's okay to say, "I don't know." Eva's mother then shares what she understands about the moon and gravity, but admits there is a lot she does not know about it.

Other questions are raised about life cycles and the number of grains of sand in the world. The pair talk about what they know about these things but also why it's important to wonder about things they don't know.

This unusual book is a pleasure to read. It offers a refreshing change from "fast books" that cram facts onto pages in order to offer young readers an educational experience. I Wonder speaks to a child's emotional intelligence and her ability to learn about herself while pondering the mysteries of the universe. This story is a good jumping off point for discussions between children and caregivers because it asks, "What do you wonder about?"

John Rowe's illustrations also inspire a sense of wonder as he creates the planets, sand, and butterflies about which Eva is so curious.

Harris is an editor of science books and also writes with her husband, Sam Harris. Dr. Harris is an author, philosopher, and neuroscientist. Both are co-founders of the non-profit group Project Reason.

I Wonder was published in October, 2013, by Four Elephants Press after being funded by Harris's Kickstarter campaign. It is 40 pages and is currently available in hardcover and kindle edition only at Amazon.com.

If you like to look at picture books even when your child is fast asleep, this book is for you! It has captivating detail and, because it has no words, it truly lets the reader tell the story.

Journey is the wordless picture story of a lonely city girl whose parents and sister are much too busy - two-thirds of them with electronic devices - to spend time with her one afternoon. She uses a mysterious red marker to draw herself into an adventure. If that sounds like the concept behind Harold and the Purple Crayon - it is. But that's where the similarities between the two stories end. Whereas Harold drew his way out of his house and then drew everything else around him, this story's heroine uses her red marker only to get from place to imaginary place. Those places are brought to luminous life by author/illustrator Aaron Becker's watercolor and pen and ink illustrations.

The girl's simply-drawn red rowboat carries her through a forest and into a series of Escheresque canals in an ancient city. She narrowly averts disaster by drawing then hitching a ride in a hot air balloon that lifts her to another series of adventures. The girl's kindness and bravery literally open new imaginary doors for her that ultimately lead her to a new friendship - and what do you know? Her new friend lives just down the street from her house in the city. The two of them combine their imaginative powers to create a new adventure for themselves.

A child can look at this book for a long, long time. Children who like to figure out how things work will like it, especially. It's a book for thinkers. It's the kind of book that I would like to open up with a 4-year-old and say, "Oh my! What's happening here?" I love those kinds of stories.

Journeywas published by Candlewick Press in August, 2013. It is 40 pages and available in hardcover. You can purchase it locally at Barnes & Noble and Von's Books. You can also buy it online at Amazon.com.

This book is another gift selection this year, this time for my 3-year-old niece. It was a New York Times Best Seller in 2011 and it fits nicely in this week's duo of books about girls growing up to be strong women.

From astronaut Sally Ride to sharpshooter Annie Oakley, Isabella imagines she is many different influential women throughout history. And each time she changes her mind her mom responds with patience and a great sense of humor. Mike Litwin's illustration style varies throughout the book to include drawings and photo collages. Looking for these subtle differences in the images adds to the fun. When it's time to get on the school bus, Isabella becomes civil rights activist Rosa Parks. I was moved by Litwin's illustration of this page in Isabella's history.

Author Jennifer Fosberry keeps the text simple using just the first names of each historical figure but she provides biographies at the end of the book as well as a list of works consulted that will guide you to more information about each woman. This story is not "teachy" but it provides a nice jumping-off point for a discussion between a caregiver and child about how these women - and many others - have changed the world.

The girl in Someday looks like a 7-year-old and that’s what made it stand out among the picture books, to me. She’s a big kid and even though the story will really appeal to those strong young women on your list, it’s a great story for even younger children, too.

In Someday, the girl is dreaming about the great things she will accomplish someday when she is older. Someday she will have lunch with the President at the White House. She will give him a box of golf balls and she will not drop any of her salad on the rug.

The story alternates from this someday of the future to today when she is preparing for those adventures. Today she is eating lunch with her little brother Roger who talks with his mouth full and spills his milk. Someday she will spend the night in Egypt and sleep next to a pyramid. Tonight she is sleeping next to Roger because he is afraid of monsters.

The future is described in grown-up detail while the present is written more simply. She is not really wishing for the future but she is aware that she will be more confident and have it together - someday. I imagine that the girl's current and future selves are able to communicate and they take turns writing this story.

Rosie Winstead's inviting illustrations show an imperfect and changing girl who is beautiful, uncertain, sometimes bossy and sometimes very kind. She’s a real girl and this book takes her and its young readers seriously. There are also a few secrets in the illustrations that children will enjoy discovering for themselves. I highly recommend this book for any young ladies on your holiday or birthday gift list.

Someday was published by Dial in 2007. It is 32 pages and available in hardcover and paperback editions.